The MAAC announced Wednesday that Bentley has suspended senior captain Ryan Soderquist an additional three games for an abuse-of-officials penalty received during the Falcons’ Jan. 8 contest at Fairfield. Soderquist, Bentley’s all-time leading scorer, had already received the automatic one-game suspension as a consequence of the game disqualification he was assessed. He will miss a … Read more
Bowling Green coach Buddy Powers announced Tuesday that Eric Hoffberg, former head coach at RIT, has accepted an assistant coaching position with the Falcon hockey program. Hoffberg’s move reunites him with Powers, under whom he served as an assistant coach when Powers was head man at RIT. Ironically, Hoffberg replaces Wayne Wilson, who left to … Read more
RIT has named Wayne Wilson its new head coach and manager of the Ritter Ice Arena, effective July 1st. Nearly 40 applications were received for the open position, including applicants from D-I, D-III, high school, amatuer and pro ranks. The working search committee was composed of representatives from the administration, staff, faculty, and players from … Read more
When John Greenhalgh, the founding director of the Hockey Humanitarian award, received Kristine Pierce’s nomination from Rochester Institute of Technology sports information director Chuck Mitrano, he couldn’t help himself. “She’s not eligible,” he told Mitrano. “She’s an angel.” She’s also this year’s recipient, announced Friday in Anaheim, Calif., site of the Division I Frozen Four. … Read more
Eric Hoffberg, the winningest coach in RIT history, resigned today to pursue a position at the Division I or professional level. Hoffberg was 188-82-22 in his ten-year career at RIT, including 47-7-7 the last two seasons. The Tigers made the Division III NCAA Tournament five times during his tenure, including a fourth-place finish this season. … Read more
What do you call a team that, in the midst of a good year, learns it has lost its number-one goalie for the rest of the season? A team whose senior backup can count his career games played on one hand? If that team is Holy Cross, you’d call it a contender. That’s the exact … Read more
The object of the two games is the same — to score goals. One is played on a sheet of ice, the other on a pitch. Canisius College junior Ryan Puntiri excels at both. On the soccer field, the midfielder is one of the leading playmakers in the nation. Puntiri was named second-team All-Metro Atlantic … Read more
UMass-Dartmouth, RIT and Middlebury have been tabbed the preseason favorites by coaches in their ECAC leagues in polling released by the league office. UMass-Dartmouth took the inaugural coaches’ preseason poll in the revamped Northeast, earning 13 of 18 first-place votes and amassing 318 points. Rival Fitchburg State finished second, earning 306 points and four first-place … Read more
Bentley College will move its hockey program to Division I and join the newly-formed Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, effective with the 1999-2000 season, director of athletics Bob DeFelice announced today. Bentley, formerly a member of the ECAC Central, will compete as a Division II independent this season before beginning play in the MAAC. The MAAC … Read more
Rensselaer junior right wing Matt Garver has withdrawn from the Institute and is expected to enroll at Rochester Institute of Technology in the fall. “It’s an unfortunate situation,” said head coach Dan Fridgen in a prepared statement. “But we’re certainly appreciative of what Matt has contributed to the program over his three years and we … Read more
United States Military Academy assistant coach Paul Haggerty, 29, passed away Monday while running the steps of Michie Stadium, on the West Point campus. The exact cause of death has not been determined. Haggerty, a 1991 alumnus of the Academy, served two seasons as assistant to head coach Rob Riley. He was a three-time hockey … Read more
The Sacred Heart men’s hockey program, like Fairfield and Quinnipiac before it, has been declared ineligible for the ECAC playoffs because it awarded athletic scholarships, the Associated Press reported Friday. According to ECAC officials, Sacred Heart’s games will not count towards the ECAC North/Central/South league standings. The penalties are identical to those levied against the … Read more
Squelching rumors surrounding the program, officials at the United States Military Academy stated that they have no desire to return to the ECAC or to ask for admission into Hockey East. The Cadet football team’s recent jump from independent status to Conference USA membership had sparked discussion that a similar move could be underway for … Read more
There, in the middle of the scuffle, was the familiar number eight with “HOWATT” stretching between the shoulders. But the jersey was not the orange, blue and white of the New York Islanders; it was the black, gold and gray of the United States Military Academy. In the stands of Tate Rink on the West … Read more
UMass-Lowell has selected Tim Whitehead and Blaise MacDonalad as finalists for the vacant head coaching position, according to the Lowell Sun. Both Whitehead and MacDonald have ties to the program and to other Hockey East schools. Whitehead, 35, has been an assistant coach at UMass-Lowell for the past five seasons. He was also an assistant … Read more